Power tool cutting apparatus

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to apparatus for providing for the powered cutting of a workpiece, typically in the form of a planar or sheet material. The apparatus includes a rotatable blade to cut the workpiece and the blade is mountable such as in a first mode of use to be capable of being held in a fixed position in which the workpiece is moved past the blade, and a second mode of use in which the blade is moved with respect to the workpiece to cut the same. The workpiece is mounted on a base and the blade is mounted with respect to the base via one or more slide members.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/152,929 filed May 12, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/598,935 filed Jan. 28, 2010, which is a national stage of International Application No. PCT/GB2008/003986, filed Dec. 1, 2008, which claims the foreign priority benefit of United Kingdom Patent Application No. 0723700.1, filed Dec. 4, 2007, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

The invention to which this application relates is to apparatus which can be used to perform cutting actions on one or more work pieces such as, but not exclusively, work pieces in the form of sheet material such as, for example, wooden and/or laminate flooring.

With any form of work piece which is required to be fitted into a particular type of area, there is often a need for the same to be cut to suit particular area dimensions and area edges and very often a need for different cuts to be used such as rip cuts and cross cuts. For example, when fitting laminate flooring in a room, at least certain of the strips of laminate will be required to be cut to a particular length or width where the same are to be located at or adjacent to walls of the room or other structures within the building. Conventionally, this can be done manually by using a saw but, often the accuracy and quality of cut which can be achieved, is unsuitable and can lead to the finished floor having a poor appearance and/or not fitting correctly. A further problem is that the manual cutting of the laminate sheet material can be tiring for the person and therefore on occasion, they may attempt to perform the cutting action using other power tools which may not be suitable for the particular purpose and can therefore be dangerous to use and therefore may not perform a particularly attractive finish.

It is also known to provide apparatus which is of a size and scale which can accept the dimension of the sheet material to cut the same but that apparatus tends to be of a form which is located in a work shop or other permanent location and therefore can not be used on site to perform the cutting operation on the sheet material. This form of apparatus is therefore of little use to a person who may be fitting the laminate flooring in a particular room or confined or restricted space as, in many cases, the dimensions of the area in which the sheet material, such as wood floor, composite wood laminates, skirting boards, door casings, floor panels, panelling, and the like, is to be fitted are not known and therefore not all of the items of sheet material can be cut to size prior to transporting the same to site for fitting and therefore cutting on site is required to be performed.

An aim of the present invention is therefore to provide apparatus of a form which can be used to perform a cutting action on a work piece such as laminate flooring, flooring panels or the like and to allow the cutting action to be performed on site and in an accurate and safe manner.

In a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a powered cutting apparatus, said apparatus comprising a base onto which a work piece to be cut can be placed, and guide means including at least one slide member, a cutting unit comprising a rotatable blade, a guard for the same, and drive means for rotating said blade when switched on, said cutting unit mounted on and to one side of the guide means such that the blade is spaced from the guide means and wherein a locking assembly is provided to allow the operation of the apparatus in a first mode in which the cutting unit is movable along the guide means when the locking assembly is released and in a second mode when the locking assembly is locked in which the cutting unit is fixed in position on the guide means and the workpiece is moved past the same.

Typically, in the first mode the workpiece is held in a stationary position with the cutting unit moved to cut through the workpiece and form a cross cut and in the second mode of operation the workpiece is moved past the stationary cutting unit such that the rotating blade therein cuts the workpiece to form a rip cut.

Typically there is provided a guard which at least partially encloses the blade in operation, said guard capable of being held in a fixed, safety position by an interlock assembly. Typically the interlock assembly is biased towards the fixed guard position, and can be released by an operator with their hand when the apparatus is in the first mode of operation, and is released by movement of the said locking assembly to allow the second mode of operation. In the second mode of operation the guard is free to move to a raised position to travel along the top surface of the workpiece when contacting the workpiece, as the interlock assembly is released.

Typically, when released in either mode the leading edge of the guard is capable of rising up the front edge of the workpiece and along the top surface of the workpiece being cut. It is safe for the guard to be held in the raised position when in the second mode of operation because the cutting unit is fixed and therefore the user's hands do not need to be located on the cutting unit when the blade is rotating and instead are located at a remote location on the workpiece to move the same and/or using a pushing tool to push the workpiece.

In one embodiment, the blade is positioned such that at least a lower portion thereof, is received within a slot in the base, said slot running parallel to at least one slide member and along which slot, the said blade moves when the cutting and handle assembly are moved along the slide.

In one embodiment the cutting unit can be held in a fixed position by the operation of the locking assembly and access gained to the blade to allow the same to be changed when worn, or a different type of blade is required to be used. In this case when the blade is released from the cutting unit the same can be removed by passing it through the slot to the underside of the base and the new blade can be introduced to the cutting unit through the slot.

In one embodiment, two slides are provided, said slides running parallel to one another and, in one embodiment, located so as to be one above the other. The slides are typically provided in a fixed location on the base and, in one embodiment, a first bearing assembly is provided to locate on the lower slide and second and third bearing assemblies are provided to locate on the upper slide. It should be appreciated that while this is a preferred embodiment, other slide numbers and configurations can be used and are incorporated herein.

Typically control means to allow the operation of the apparatus are positioned on the cutting unit so as to lie intermediate the blade and the handle assembly of the apparatus.

In one embodiment, the base is substantially planar and rigid and can be manufactured of a wood or wood based material or metal or metal alloy and supported on the support surface by feet which are provided to resist movement of the apparatus across a support surface when using the apparatus. In one embodiment, and where necessary, load spreading washers can be used to secure components to the base to spread load and avoid problems caused by base degradation or corrosion. Alternatively a stand can be provided to allow the apparatus to be raised from the support surface.

In one embodiment, the base can be used as storage means for components which are not in use, said components including any or any combination of, one or more fences against which the work piece abuts, and/or a pushing device which can be used by the user of the apparatus to contact with the work piece to be cut and push said work piece into position and/or move the work piece past the blade so as to perform the cutting operation.

If required carrying means such as a strap, handle or the like can be provided on or attached to the apparatus. Typically the apparatus is portable and can therefore be transported for use at the location at which the workpiece which is to be cut is to be fitted in place for use. This therefore means that persons such as joiners, carpenters or the like can cut the workpiece to the desired size and shape and therefore do not need to leave the site every time they require cuts to be made, and/or do not need to take accurate measurements and then go off site to do the work and/or do not need to invest in relatively expensive machinery and/or to pay other parties to perform the cutting operations.

In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a fence for use in the second mode of operation in performing a cut called a rip cut when the workpiece is moved with respect to the cutting unit, with the contact face of the fence, substantially parallel to the elongate axis of the slide members. The fence is preferably movable between positions intermediate the cutting blade and the slides so as to provide a contact face at a required location and against which an edge of the work piece can be placed to ensure accurate cutting, and therefore ensure that the cut in the workpiece is parallel with the edge of the workpiece in contact with the fence.

In one embodiment, the positioning of the fence can be selected and locked using one or more locking means such as threaded bolts or screws and/or a cam assembly. Typically the fence assembly is located with one or more slots on a baseplate which receive locking means which are secured to the base, the length of said slots defining the extent of variation in the position of the contact face and guiding the movement of the fence to ensure that the contact face of the fence against which the work piece is located is maintained in a substantially parallel relationship with the cutting plane of the blade.

In one embodiment, a fence assembly is provided for use when performing a cross cut on the workpiece in the first mode of operation, said fence assembly rotatably positionable within a predefined range so as to allow angular adjustment of an edge face of the same against which the work piece can be positioned to allow an angular cut to be created along the work piece.

In one embodiment, the said fence assembly incorporates a clamp which passes through the base and has a portion which can be tightened onto the work piece to clamp the same in position.

In one embodiment, the said fence assembly is pivotally movable within a predefined range such as ±10° and/or movable to predefined angle locations.

Typically, the handle assembly is located on and/or formed as part of the bearing assembly such that the force applied by the user to slidably move the cutting unit along the slide members, which force will also typically include a downward component, is located close to the slide members thereby ensuring that the sliding movement exerted on the cutting unit, is accurately controlled.

Typically, the drive means is in the form of an electric motor which is mounted with its longitudinal axis in a substantially horizontal plane, perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the blade.

The blade is preferably driven so as to rotate with respect to the workpiece such that the teeth pass through the workpiece from the face closest to the base to the opposing face, thus performing an upcutting action. This prevents the workpiece from being “driven” by the action of the blade in a direction past the cutting head and hence prevents possible injury to the user of the apparatus by uncontrolled movement of the workpiece when being cut.

In one embodiment, the handle assembly includes a grip portion, which, with respect to the position of user of the apparatus, is angled from a raised location at its furthest point from the user, to its lowest height closest to the user.

In one embodiment, the axis of rotation of the blade, is located at a fixed height with respect to the base. The guard is typically provided to enclose the majority of the cutting blade and typically said guard is formed as one piece and is slidingly and/or pivotally movable with respect to the cutting blade so as to allow a sufficient portion of the blade to be exposed to cut through the workpiece. It is preferred that at least a portion of the guard is formed of a transparent material so as to allow the interior of the guard, including the blade and workpiece, to be viewable.

In one embodiment, the guard has a leading edge which in use, when there is relative movement between the cutting head and workpiece to bring the same together, abuts with a leading edge of the work piece and then raises upwardly to the height of the top surface of the workpiece to allow the blade to be exposed to the workpiece and for the blade to then cut through the same upon further relative movement.

In one embodiment, the guard includes an adjustable cutting guide mounted at the leading face and said guard can include a laser or LED line generator provided as part thereof or mounted adjacent thereto.

Typically the position of the generator is adjustable so as to allow the guideline to be aligned with the line of cut, or both or either sides of the kerf of the blade.

In one embodiment a guide is provided to be movable so as to lie on and move along the top surface of the workpiece being cut, thereby allowing the user to maintain the guide on the workpiece in alignment with a guide line formed on the workpiece. In one embodiment a further guide may also be provided.

The guard and/or apparatus may include an illumination means which allows illumination of the area of the work piece at which the cutting action is being performed. In one embodiment the lateral movement of the guide is prevented or minimised so as to ensure the accuracy of the use of the guide.

The apparatus may also include a dust and debris collection means which allows dust and debris on the work piece which is created by the cutting action to be removed from the interior of the guard. In one embodiment, the direction of rotation of the blade is used to create an airflow which collects the dust and debris from the cut area and moves the same through the guard to exit at a location remote from the cut area.

In one embodiment, the guard is pivotally and/or slidingly movable with respect to the remainder of the cutting unit, about a position on the cutting head which is offset to the cutting blade. In one embodiment this movement is about a pivot axis or alternatively the movement of the guide is guided by at least one pin slidably movable along a slot or aperture. Typically, the movement of the guard upwardly is such that the base of the leading edge of the guard passes along and in contact with the top face of the work piece being cut.

Typically the guard, on at least one side of the blade includes a recess portion, offset from the leading edge of the same, which allows the guard to move back towards the base once the trailing edge of the workpiece passes the recess or step. This recess or step allows the rear or trailing edge of the workpiece to be held against the step and hence prevents the ongoing rotational movement of the blade from causing a “kick back” effect on the piece of material which has been cut from the workpiece. The term kick back describes the possibility of the off cut piece being driven back towards the operator of the apparatus at speed by the blade rotation and hence prevents the risk of injury.

The guard is typically biased towards a position downwardly towards the base thereby minimising the opportunity for a user to gain access to the blade as it rotates.

In one embodiment, a biasing force is exerted on the guard. In one embodiment the force is in the region of 10 Nm. This prevents or minimises the risk of the user unwittingly inserting their finger under the guard and into the path of the blade.

In one embodiment, the work piece which is cut is in the form of planar or sheet material of a maximum depth of 18 mm.

In one embodiment, the sheet material is laminate flooring or wooden composite boards or wooden boards for flooring.

Typically, the at least one slide is mounted with respect to the base, via mounting brackets, one provided at each end of the slides, or alternatively a bracket is provided at one end only so as to mount the slide, thereby leaving a slot along the remaining length of the slide between the base and the underside of the slide. This allows sheet material which is being cross cut, to be passed through the slot if required so as to allow the line to be cut on the workpiece to be positioned accurately with the blade of the cutting unit. This arrangement of the slides and brackets therefore ensures that there are a minimum number of obstructions on the base, thereby maximising the length and possible positioning of the sheet material which can be cut using the apparatus in accordance with the invention. In one embodiment a workpiece of a dimension of up to 430 mm can be placed through the slot.

Although mainly envisaged to be operated on a support surface in a horizontal plane, in one embodiment, the apparatus can be adapted to be supported with the top face of the base in another plane, such as a vertical plane, with the apparatus attached to a supported wall or other structure.

In a yet further aspect of the invention there is provided a powered cutting apparatus, said apparatus comprising a base onto which a work piece to be cut can be placed, and guide means including at least one slide member and at least one bearing assembly located on said guide means for selective movement there along, a cutting unit comprising a rotatable blade and drive means for rotating said blade when switched on, said cutting unit mounted on and to one side of the bearing assembly and wherein the cutting unit includes a guard for the blade which is pivotally movable between a first position and a second position in which the blade is sufficiently exposed to perform a cutting action, and said movement of the guard to the second position is achieved by contact with and relative movement between the workpiece and the leading edge of the guard.

Typically the guard is biased towards the first position and the contact and movement of the workpiece acts against the biasing means. Typically the guard is held in the second position while the workpiece is positioned between the underside of the guard and the base and, thereafter, the guard returns to the first position.

In a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a powered cutting apparatus, said apparatus comprising a base onto which a work piece to be cut can be placed, and guide means including at least one slide member and at least one bearing assembly located on said slide member for selective movement there along, a cutting unit comprising a rotatable blade and drive means for rotating said blade when switched on, said cutting unit supported on the bearing and said apparatus further including a handle portion mounted adjacent said at least one bearing assembly and/or intermediate said at least one bearing assembly and cutting unit.

In one embodiment the cutting unit and handle are disposed to the same side of said at least one slide member.

In a yet further aspect of the invention there is provided a powered cutting apparatus, said apparatus comprising a base onto which a work piece to be cut can be placed, and guide means including at least one slide member and at least one bearing assembly located on said guide means for selective movement there along, a cutting unit comprising a rotatable blade, a guard for the same, and drive means for rotating said blade when switched on, said cutting unit mounted to one side of the guide means such that the blade is spaced from the guide means and wherein a locking assembly is provided to allow the operation of the apparatus in a first mode in which the cutting unit is movable along the guide means with the locking assembly released and operation of the locking assembly allows operation of the apparatus in a second mode in which the cutting unit is fixed on the guide means and the workpiece is moved past the same.

In a yet further aspect of the invention, there is provided a powered cutting apparatus, for cutting a substantially planer workpiece via a cutting unit having a blade driven to be rotated, wherein said apparatus is selectively operable in a first mode in which the cutting unit is movable with respect to the workpiece to cross cut the same and in a second mode in which the cutting unit position is fixed and the workpiece is moved past the same for a rip cut to be performed.

Specific embodiments of the invention are now described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein;

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of apparatus in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates an opposing side view of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrates a detailed perspective view of the leading edge of the guard with sight guides attached;

FIG. 5 illustrates a plan view of the base;

FIG. 6 illustrates detailed view of the locking assembly forth e cutting unit;

FIG. 7 illustrates a cross sectional view along line AA of FIG. 3; and

FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate an elevation and end elevation of a blade guard in accordance with the invention.

Referring to the drawings, there is illustrated apparatus 2 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. The apparatus comprises a base 3 which can, in one embodiment, be formed of wood or ply wood material and which is provided with supporting feet 4 at the corners thereof. The feet are typically formed of a compliant anti-slip material so as to prevent the base from sliding along a support surface when in use. It should be appreciated that although the base is shown to be of a rectangular plan, the shape can be altered to suit specific requirements. The base can also receive stops or other location means which can be positioned to define a particular location for repeated cutting at the same cut line position of successive workpieces.

A slot 6 is formed along a substantially central longitudinal axis of the base and the slot 6 is provided to receive a portion of a cutting blade 9 as shown in FIG. 7, which is provided as part of a cutting unit 10. The blade is provided to rotate about the axis of rotation 12 which is permanently spaced from the base so as to allow the lowest portion 11 of the blade to enter into or be positioned adjacent to the slot 6 in the base 3 and which, when rotated, performs a cutting operation on a work piece 103 shown in FIG. 4B.

The work piece to be cut is typically relatively thin sheet material and is positioned on the base 3 at a selected location. The location can be selected with regard to a fence assembly 34 when in a first mode of operation when the cutting unit is movable, or a fence assembly 16 when in a second mode of operation with the cutting unit held in a fixed position.

The fence assembly 16 incorporates a contact face 14 against which an edge of the sheet material is positioned to position the same correctly for the rip cut cutting operation to be performed. Depending from the face is provided a support plate 18 which, in this embodiment, includes a slotted aperture 20 which receives a threaded pin or bolt 24, which is received, in turn, in a threaded aperture in the base. Further guides can be provided to ensure that the fence contact face 14 is maintained substantially parallel with the blade 6 and hence the cutting line on the workpiece.

If required, although not shown, an alternative fence assembly may be fixed in position, using the same mounting plate arrangement in which the face against which the edge of the work piece is positioned, lies perpendicular to the blade in the base.

The fence assembly 34 is also provided on the base 3 and this fence assembly can be selectively used for a cross cut in the first mode of operation to allow a cross cut to be achieved, typically across the width of the workpiece and in this case, the fence assembly 34 includes a face 36 against which an edge of the sheet material is to be positioned and this face is pivotally movable about pivot location 32, typically within substantially plus 10 and substantially minus 10 degrees of a centre datum line. Once the angular adjustment is achieved, the threaded screw or bolt 40 which sits in the slot 42 can be tightened. It will be noted that there is a further slot 38 in which a rod 37, connected to the base sits. The extent of length of the slot 38, determines the angular degree of adjustment which is possible. In one use, the cut can be directly across at 90 degrees or a range of predetermined angular positions such as macro angles 15°, 20°, 30°, 45° to be achieved are defined and location means are provided to allow the fence to be selectively retained in a particular angular location.

A clamp device 50 is provided which includes a threaded rod 52 with a foot 54, which foot can be formed so as to prevent damage to the work piece against which the same is clamped. This clamp is therefore used to maintain the work piece in a position on the base.

In order to perform the cutting operations, the cutting unit 10 is provided in connection with drive means 56 which are mounted, in this example with its longitudinal axis in a substantially horizontal plane and can be connected to a suitable power supply 58. Also provided, typically inline with the drive means, are switches 60 which allow the selective operation and rotation of the blade to perform the cutting operation.

It should be appreciated that the drive means used, and the connection means between the drive means and the blade may be altered depending on the scale of the apparatus. For example, different versions of the apparatus may be provided of different sizes such that for example, a larger version may require a drive connection between the drive means and the blade to be achieved using a drive belt, whereas other versions may require drive connections using a suitable gear assembly.

The cutting unit including the drive means, are mounted with respect to a bearing assembly 64 which is also provided with a handle assembly 66. As shown, the cutting unit and handle are offset to one side of first and second guide means in the form of slide members 68, 70. The bearing assembly is connected to the slides, in this case with a first bearing 78 mounted on the lower slide 70 and second and third bearings 72, 74 mounted on the upper slide 68 at spaced locations thereon. In one embodiment, the bearings are self-lubricating and may be detailed with inherent resilience to take into account and mitigate any tolerance which there may be in the surfaces of the slide members. Other forms of slide arrangements could be used such as linear bearings, profiled tubes for the slides and/or plain bearings.

The slide members are held in the spaced position by first and second mounting brackets 76, 80 which are secured to the base 3 and which, preferably, are secured to the base at each end of the slides thereby leaving a slot 82 between the base 3 and the underside of the lower slide 70. This slot can be used to allow the accommodation of a work piece which is being cross cut and which may be required to be slid through the slot so as to be able to position the same appropriately with regard to the blade. The handle assembly 66 typically includes a gripping portion 84 which is sloped so as to have its highest portion 86 furthest from the location 88 of the person when using the apparatus and a lower portion 90 closest to the user.

The apparatus can typically be used in two modes of operation, a first mode in which the cutting unit can be moved along the slides and a second mode in which the cutting unit 10, is held stationery with respect to the slide members 68, 70. In this second mode the work piece is moved towards the cutting blade 9 in the direction of arrow 91 and continued to be moved past the cutting blade until the cut in the work piece has been completed. In this case a side edge of the workpiece abuts with and moves along the contact surface 14 of the fence assembly 16.

An interlock assembly 94 is provided and shown in FIG. 6. The interlock assembly is biased to hold the guard 96 in a fixed lowered position. The interlock assembly can be released by an operator with their hand when gripping the cutting head handle 66 when the apparatus is in the first mode of operation, and is released and held in that position by movement of the said locking assembly 95 when in the second mode of operation. The interlock assembly is shown in the released position in FIG. 6 and it also shows how the same pivots about axis 151 as indicated by arrow 153. When released in either mode the leading edge of the guard is capable of rising up the front edge of the workpiece and along the top surface of the workpiece being cut so as to expose sufficient of the blade to cut through the workpiece.

In the second mode of operation the guard 96 is held in an open position by the movement of the locking assembly pin 95 into the slide 68, typically into an aperture on the slide to hold the cutting unit in the fixed position. At the same time the movement of the pin engages a latch 97 of the interlock assembly 94 such that the interlock assembly pivots about axis 151 and the engagement between the interlock assembly 94 and the guard protrusion 99 is released such that the guard is free to move up and along the workpiece. The bearing assembly 64 is locked with the slide via pin 95 either by the same acting as a brake or passing into an aperture located on at least one of the slides which serves to lock the cutting unit in position for this operation mode.

Typically the interlock assembly 94 is biased towards a guard fixed position so as to ensure that the guard will stay in a lowered safety position.

In the first mode of operation a cross cut can be performed and in this case an edge of the workpiece is placed against the contact face 36 of the fence assembly 34. In this mode the work piece is held stationery and, with the locking assembly pin 95 released from the slide, the cutting unit including the bearing assembly and handle assembly are slidably movable along the slide members as indicated by arrow 92 so as to move the rotating blade along and through the work piece to perform the cross cutting operation. However the guard is in the default down position unless the operator operates the interlock latch 97 to release the interlock 94 from the guard protrusion 99. The requirement to operate the latch to free the guard for movement can be achieved by the users hand when gripping the handle 66 and means that it can be ensured that the user's hands are only at the cutting unit handle and hence well removed from the blade and therefore provide an important safety feature. When the cutting unit is in the fixed locked position the unit is in a safe position to allow the blade change to be performed.

The blade of the cutting unit is almost entirely enclosed within the guard 96, which guard is typically transparent as shown in FIG. 1 where the blade 9 is visible. The guard can be pivotally movable and/or slidably movable about axis 98.

The guard is formed as a one piece unit and can be moved between a first position shown in FIG. 2 in which the lower edge 102 is in contact with or adjacent to the base 3 thereby enclosing the blade, and a second position in which the lower edge 102 is raised to lie on the top surface of the workpiece positioned on the base so that the blade is sufficiently exposed to cut the workpiece and the workpiece can pass between the lower edge of the guard and the top surface of the base. To achieve this movement the guard is provided with a leading face or edge 100 which is angled 108 such that when the front edge of the work piece 103 which is to be cut, contacts with the leading face 107 of the workpiece 103 as shown in broken lines in FIG. 2, in either mode of operation, then continued relative movement causes the angled leading edge or face 100 of the guard to ride up and over the leading face 107 of the workpiece, and so the guard is encouraged to move upwardly about the pivot axle 98 to a sufficient extent such that the lower edge 102 of the guard moves to the second position to contact and slide along the top face 105 of the work piece 103. This means that there is sufficient clearance between the guard and the base for the work piece to come into contact with the blade and be cut by the same as the blade rotates. The clearance is kept to the thickness of the workpiece thereby minimising access to the blade whilst moving. The blade is rotated in a direction indicated by arrow 113 in FIG. 2 so as to provide an upcutting action with the teeth of the blade positioned and formed so as to perform a cutting action from the base towards the surface 105 of the workpiece.

As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, which show the guard, the side (109) of the guard which is adjacent the “cut off” portion of the workpiece 103 is recessed at point 111 to allow the guard to drop down as indicated by arrow 121 when the trailing edge 123 of the cut off piece 119 of the workpiece 103 has passed the same in the direction of arrow 125. At this stage the cut off piece is separated from the workpiece and can be removed. The provision of the recess or step contacts with the trailing edge when the guard drops down, as shown, and hence prevents the cut off piece from kicking back and moving in direction 127 under the influence of the rotation of the blade within the guard with which the cut off piece may still be in contact. It also prevents the cut off piece becoming stuck and maintaining the guard in a potentially unsafe raised position, once the workpiece cut has in fact been performed.

As shown in FIG. 8A, guard 96 defines slot 124 through which pin 126 extends, with the lowest portion of slot 124 defining limit 128. Slot 124 and pin 126 serve to restrict the range of pivoting of guard 96 about axis 98. Limit 128 provides a hard stop that blocks guard 96 from being raised above cutting blade 9, when cutting blade 9 is centered on axis of rotation 12. The hard stop provided by limit 128 and pin 126 retains guard 96 in a position that restricts moving cutting blade 9 out of slot 6 from the top side of base 3.

Also provided at the front face of the guard, can be a guide means such as a laser generator 104 with the leading face being formed so as to ensure that there is a free path for the guideline which is generated. Alternatively, or in addition other illumination means may be provided to illuminate the portion of the work piece adjacent to the blade at any given time. It should be appreciated that the guard as herein described may be used to advantage on other designs and uses of cutting apparatus and is not confined to use with the apparatus herein described.

In addition or alternatively one or more sight guides 107,109 can be provided on the guard as shown in FIG. 4B. The first guide 107 is mounted to move in a pendulum manner as indicated by arrows 115 about location 111 which allows the same to be moved by the contact with the leading edge of the workpiece 103 and then contact with the top surface 105 of the same. The same can be aligned with a guideline 113 applied to or generated on the top surface 105 of the workpiece 103. The second guide can be an edge of the guard which can be aligned with the blade edge and so the two guides can be used to aid accurate cutting using the apparatus.

The guard can also be provided with, or have attached, a dust collection channel 106 through which dust or debris created during the cutting operation of the blade, can be removed from the vicinity and hence allow the dust and debris to be collected, perhaps by a bag connected to the channel or by other vacuum apparatus. Typically the dust and debris is collected from the cut area by the airflow created by rotation of the blade, and carried upwardly and around the guard as indicated by arrow 117 by the airflow to an exit aperture, typically located at a tangent to the airflow above the blade.

The base 3 of the apparatus can also be used to allow other components to be stored therewith and in this case, a push member 118 is shown in a storage position via slotted apertures 120 which are received on first and second fixing means 122 attached to the base. The push member is provided for use when the apparatus is in the operating mode in which the cutting unit is stationery and the work piece is required to be pushed towards the blade. In one embodiment the base may be provided with side and length extensions to support the workpiece beyond the periphery of the base.

There is therefore provided apparatus which allows work pieces to be cut effectively and efficiently and also to allow the same to be cut on site using the apparatus as herein described.

There is therefore provided a compact and efficient cutting apparatus which is operable in two modes thereby allowing the workpiece to be inserted width wise across the cutting plane so as to be bisected without being obstructed by the product structure and also allow angular cuts to be achieved. 

I claim:
 1. A powered cutting apparatus for the cutting of a thin sheet workpiece with a saw blade, said apparatus comprising: a base defining a longitudinal slot and a through hole aligned with and formed as part of said longitudinal slot, said through hole passing from a top side of the base to an underside of the base, first and second spaced parallel slide members located one above another on first and second mounting brackets provided at each end of said two spaced parallel slide members and located at or adjacent to a longitudinal edge of said base such that said slide members are substantially parallel with said longitudinal edge of the base and said slide members are fixed to said base, a cutting unit including a housing in which is mounted a motor that powers rotation of the saw blade when cutting the workpiece, a bearing assembly connecting said housing to said first and second spaced parallel slide members, a guard which receives therein a part of the saw blade while a lower portion of the saw blade is located in said longitudinal slot in said base, said longitudinal slot arranged to be substantially parallel to said slide members and said longitudinal edge of said base, said housing located intermediate said bearing assembly and the saw blade, wherein said guard is selectively movable relative to the housing about a pivot axis, between a lowered position where the guard is in contact with said base and a raised position where the guard is in contact with a top surface of the thin sheet workpiece, and a fence assembly is provided to be selectively mounted at first and second locations on said base in order to provide a guide for the workpiece positioned on a top surface of said base when the cutting is performed and wherein the saw blade has a central axis which is the same as an axis of rotation of the saw blade when said saw blade is fitted to said apparatus and said axis of rotation is maintained at a fixed height with respect to said base by said bearing assembly and slide members wherein said cutting unit is fixed to said first and second spaced parallel slide members so as to be movable therealong with said axis of rotation of the saw blade maintained at said fixed height and said guard and said through hole are constructed and arranged such that, as long as the guard is guarding a portion of the saw blade, the saw blade can be removed by releasing the saw blade from said cutting unit and passing it through said through hole to an underside of said base while a portion of the saw blade is received in said guard and wherein a new blade is attached by passing the new blade from said underside of said base through said through hole with said guard positioned above said through hole to receive the portion of the new saw blade, wherein said longitudinal slot has a first fixed width along the length thereof sufficient to receive the lower portion of the saw blade therein as the cutting unit is moved along the length of said slot, wherein said through hole has a second fixed width sufficient to allow the entire saw blade to pass there through while said slide members, said bearing assembly, said cutting unit and said base are in their respective engagement positions, and wherein said pivot axis of the guard is offset from said axis of rotation of the blade and the guard blocks moving the blade out of the slot from the top side of the base.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the cutting operation is performed on the workpiece by holding the workpiece in a fixed position on said base and moving said bearing assembly, said housing and rotating the saw blade with respect to said slide members.
 3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the cutting operation is performed on the workpiece by locking said bearing assembly, said housing and the saw blade at a fixed location with respect to said slide members, rotating the saw blade and moving the workpiece with respect to said saw blade to allow the saw blade to cut through the same.
 4. Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein locking means are provided which protrude from said housing into at least one aperture in at least one of said slide members to lock said bearing assembly, said housing and the saw blade in a fixed position with respect to said slide members.
 5. Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein a push member is provided to allow the user to push the workpiece towards the rotating saw blade.
 6. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said push member is storable on said base when not in use.
 7. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the housing includes a handle portion to allow said housing, said bearing assembly and the saw blade to be movable as an integral unit along said slide members.
 8. Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein a switch and a control means are mounted adjacent to said handle.
 9. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said guard is moveable from a lowered position in which said guard contacts with said base and teeth of the saw blade are enclosed by a combination of said guard and said slot in said base, and a raised position in which said guard is located on a top surface of the workpiece and the teeth of the saw blade are enclosed by a combination of said guard, the workpiece and said slot in the base.
 10. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said fence assembly is selectively provided in a first position on said base from which said fence assembly is slidably moveable in a direction substantially perpendicular to said slot and in a second position on said base from which said fence is angularly moveable about a pivot axis.
 11. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said axis of rotation of the saw blade is permanently located at a fixed distance from said base of the apparatus.
 12. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein, when a new blade is attached, said axis of rotation is located at said fixed distance and a portion of the new blade always extends into said longitudinal slot.
 13. A powered cutting apparatus for use with replaceable rotatable blades, said apparatus comprising: a base onto which a work piece to be cut can be placed, and guide means including at least one slide member fixed to said base, said base defining a slot and a through hole provided as a distinguishable portion of, and aligned with, said slot, said through hole passing from a top side of said base to an underside of said base a cutting unit comprising a guard for the rotatable blade fixed thereto, and drive means for rotating the rotatable blade when switched on, said cutting unit mounted on and to one side of said guide means to slide therealong and such that the rotatable blade is spaced from said guide means, wherein said guard is selectively movable relative to the housing about a pivot axis between a lowered position where the guard is in contact with said base and a raised position where the guard is in contact with a top surface of the work piece, a locking assembly which allows operation of the apparatus in a first mode in which said cutting unit is movable along said guide means when said locking assembly is released and in a second mode when said locking assembly is locked in which said cutting unit is fixed in position on said guide means and the workpiece is moved past the cutting unit, wherein the rotatable blade is positioned with at least a lower portion of the rotatable blade received within said slot in said base running parallel to at least one slide member and along which slot, wherein the rotatable blade moves when said cutting unit is moved along said at least one slide member, wherein said cutting unit, said guide means, said guard and said drive means are located on a top side of said base, wherein said guide means retains an axis of rotation of the rotatable blade at a fixed height relative to said top side of said base, wherein said guard blocks moving the blade out of the slot from the top side of the base and said through hole are constructed and arranged to permit the rotatable blade to be removed by releasing the rotatable blade from said cutting unit and passing the rotatable blade through said through hole to an underside of said base while said guide means retains said axis of rotation at said fixed height with a portion of the rotatable blade received in said guard and wherein a new blade is attached by passing the new blade through said through hole with said guide means retaining said axis of rotation at said fixed height and said guard positioned above said through hole to receive the portion of the new rotatable blade to allow the new rotatable blade to be brought into position to be engaged with said cutting unit and said slot provided in a fixed configuration so as, in conjunction with said guard, to allow movement of said new rotatable blade from said underside of said base and through said through hole wherein said pivot axis of the guard is offset from said axis of rotation of the blade.
 14. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said base is supported at its corners by feet and spaced from a support surface on which said feet locate.
 15. Apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said feet are provided to resist movement of the apparatus across the support surface in use of the apparatus.
 16. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said base is used as storage means for components which are not in use, said components including any or any combination of one or more fences and/or a pushing device.
 17. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said locking assembly is manually moved into position to ensure that said cutting unit and a handle assembly are located and maintained in said fixed position with regard to the at least one slide member.
 18. Apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising a handle assembly including a grip portion, which, with respect to the position of user of the apparatus, is angled from a raised location at its furthest point from the user's position when using the apparatus, to its lowest height closest to the user.
 19. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the rotatable blade rotates such that, when cutting, the teeth pass from said base to a top of the workpiece.
 20. Apparatus according to claim 13, wherein a first and a second slide are provided one above the other and said slides are mounted with respect to said base via mounting brackets, one provided at each end of said slides thereby leaving a slot along the remaining length of said slides between said base and the underside of the lower of said slides, said slot of a depth to allow the workpiece being cut to pass through said slot. 